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Post by Perrey Z. on Aug 28, 2010 17:54:47 GMT -5
Shell Electric Mfg. Holdings Company, Ltd. Becomes China Overseas Grand Oceans Group, Ltd. A lot Less focus on Ceiling Fans and electrical appliances, more on Real Estate and land development. New Corporate Website: www.cogogl.com.hkRead on about the name change: www.cogogl.com.hk/upfile/201062216629403.pdfAll fans are now under the "Consumer Electrical Appliance" division. www.smc.com.hk/manufacturing/man_consumer_ceiling.html I have been watching their stock decline for over 2-years. And their annual reports have indicated that ceiling fan sales to the U.S. have decline drastically. It seems that their core product they started with is no longer profitable. S.M.C. makes 200-different fans yet you only see less than 20. No wonder their are not profitable, They needed to promote those 200-plus fans they have. They stopped suppling fans under their own brand years ago depending only on relabeled sales of 4-fans (now only 2) marketed for The Home Depot and showing a few styles on their old Hong Kong website. They don't even have an U.S. website. They had a great opportunity to compete with Air Cool and Chien Luen Industries in the ceiling fan market and against the monopoly of Jarden in the small appliances market and they let it pass. If you don't market your product, people are not going to know what you have to offer. S.M.C. had DVD players, Kitchen Appliances, Vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens in addition to their ceiling fans and they lost everything. They don't know how to market themselves. These are some of the products they had made and currently make for other markets: Office PABX telephone. One of the many they have. S.M.C. fans for Omega Australia Appliances and fans from their Samsung-S.M.C. joint venture in Latin America. The S.M.C.-Samsung logo Their region-free DVD player sold in the U.S. back in 2004 An S.M.C. Prima (1st) and the Navigator I and II (Smaller Quick Connect) from Jose Garriga Hijo, Puerto Rico a 6-bladed Custom Sports Grayton (Found on Google)
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Post by Rick M. on Aug 28, 2010 18:03:45 GMT -5
That mini Quick Connect fan is interesting; I like how it has the SMC logo on it. Too bad SMC doesn't make pedistal fans like that in the US anymore!
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Post by Cole S. on Aug 28, 2010 21:04:16 GMT -5
This decline for them is sad, they used to make great products with their own name on it, and people knew about them that way. When they hide behind other labels, they're not going to get anywhere.
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Post by Christian C. on Aug 28, 2010 23:19:05 GMT -5
Speaking of 44" camerons, those were actually decent little fans, depending on who made them
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Post by Perrey Z. on Aug 29, 2010 2:23:26 GMT -5
Speaking of 44" camerons, those were actually decent little fans, depending on who made them Agree. The original designs came from S.M.C. then Chien Luen Industries licensed the design and replace S.M.C. as the supplier for The Home Depot. How ironic. The first Cameron II from 1998-2000 are REALLY good. They were from CLI. every component is top notch.
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Post by Perrey Z. on Aug 29, 2010 3:07:21 GMT -5
Thats pretty cool the cross between a 44" Cameron II and Quick Connect, where did they sell eight-ten years ago, that was the last time I ever saw an actual SMC labeled fan. The only two I can think off the top of my head were a kind co worker of my Dad gave me an Emperor and the box of the new fan which was some type of SMC with a remote. And my favorite local Pizza restaurant had an two fans (this was when I was like 6) then they replaced one of them because the one had the pull chain yanked out of it with a spinner SMC and it lasted two weeks then they started their renovation and replaced both the fans with 44" Cameron fans, the one over the register has the SMC pull chain though. S.M.C. were sold (in the good days) at Kmart, Builders Square, Caldor, Ames, Channel Home Centers, Fan showrooms (back in the late 1970s early 1980s) and a bunch of other places. 10-years ago the only S.M.C. available in the U.S. I can remember were the portable ones from The Home Depot. In Canada, they had their own distribution network until 2005. I know they had all those models featured on their Hong Kong website and a few others. I own one that's called "UFO" it's pretty groovy. Also, Jose Garriga Hijo still have S.M.C. fans as well as Home Depot Mexico which have S.M.C. fans along side Hampton Bay.
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Post by Tais on Aug 29, 2010 5:54:59 GMT -5
SMCs were the most popular fans and till now are the most popular fan in UAE.. but however, only 4 industrial models are seen.. ADA SMC, AFA SMC, K56 (curvy blades) and K56 (uncurved blades)..
but i am wondering... will the SMC logo on the fan and wall switch change?
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Post by Chris H. on Aug 29, 2010 11:58:50 GMT -5
Oh…
If I were the CEO of a company that had 200 different fans, I'd knock it down to just 20.
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Post by Perrey Z. on Aug 29, 2010 16:42:13 GMT -5
SMCs were the most popular fans and till now are the most popular fan in UAE.. but however, only 4 industrial models are seen.. ADA SMC, AFA SMC, K56 (curvy blades) and K56 (uncurved blades).. but i am wondering... will the SMC logo on the fan and wall switch change? I doubt it. That's their brand and they still use it for not only Ceiling fans, but oscillating fans, HV fans, small electrics, communication devices, computer mainframes/servers, their Taxi service and their hearing aid devices. While not fully exploited in the U.S. it's a brand with strong loyalty everywhere in the world. In Germany when you say "S.M.C." people know what product you are talking about. Same deal in Vietnam, and the Middle East. After their U.S. recall, they announce to their shareholders that the company will not market any more oscillating and HV fans ever. Yet the new company has overturned that decision and started offering those types of fans once again. And yes their are also from Midea.
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Post by Perrey Z. on Aug 29, 2010 17:28:03 GMT -5
Oh… If I were the CEO of a company that had 200 different fans, I'd knock it down to just 20. I think you should have wrote "If I was the CEO of a company with over 200 fans and only use 25, I would just cut it down to those 25" But the thing is those 200 fans are available in other markets fully under the S.M.C. brand. Just because they have that many does not necessary mean they are obligated to sell them all in the U.S. Remember, The Home Depot purchases what they think is good for their profit and they will only carry products that will sell. I'm not saying they S.M.C. fans will not sell but that's how corporate bean counters think. They are very hooked up with King Of Fans, Air Cool and TAL which are also Air Cool leaving no room for S.M.C. to compete. I like the Quick Connect. I think it would had been great if they also added the smaller version and kept the Flemish Brass but apparently The Home Depot didn't think so. The Bridgeton was also cool, yet it got replace by the San Marino. Same deal with the Minuet II and the Industrial, which it was once the K56. There's no supplier loyalty at The Home Depot, the cheaper OEM gets the contract and that's what hurts S.M.C., going cheaper and cheaper to attract business, then when retailers don't want their SKUs it's too late to turn back to quality and the only solution is to either cut all losses (discontinuing product category) or shut down completely. That's the Walmart effect. Same Deal with King Of Fans., those fans from the 1980s and early 1990s were great. No MDF blades or cheap 153 X 15mm motors except on 42-inch fans. But the difference between King Of Fans and S.M.C. is King has invested in feature technologies which need to be patented, they license the patents to the other suppliers and they are golden. Another thing that hurt suppliers is overstock of custom made inventory. Normally, suppliers have a model/style/color specific designed and packed for a retailer, they have the exact amount needed but no, The Home Depot demands that suppliers must have ready-on-hand stock to ship to their stores overnight in case they get a contractor purchase(s) sometimes these suppliers have ramp-up production of custom fans they think will cover the entire season only to find out The Home Depot does not longer want them and wants something totally new. Keeping custom made SKU cost money that will not be recovered. That's why S.M.C. fans no longer have any Hampton Bay pull fobs, or brand badges/stickers. This is done as a safety net, it case the Home Depot no longer wants the Landmark III Plus, they can repack whatever is left as any other brand with a brand new set of instructions and box. I think they got burned out too many times by Homer TLC. The Chatham, Minuet II, Quick Connect,etc. I'm aware that Air Cool still have a bunch of Hampton Bay fans from their 1996-1999 seasons, same deal with King Of Fans. Not sure if S.M.C. have any left.
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Post by Perrey Z. on Aug 29, 2010 23:20:01 GMT -5
I didn't know the San Marino replaced the Bridgeton. Yes. When it comes to size and light package the San Marino is the direct replacement for that category. Both are small room fans, have 3-lights, are under the $60.00 price tag. Each Hampton Bay fan serves a category. There's the Price buster deals category which are for cheap people that want a fan with a crappy-looking light kit. ;D Littleton Grayton Brookhurst Farmington Cordelia Then the Conservative Price Buster ones which are for consumers who are also cheap but are willing to pay a bit more for fancier finishes. They get the Landmark III Plus, Glendale II, Sibley and Clarington. The Quick Connect Series were for those lazy homeowners who feared home improvement jobs but were willing to give it a try; Quick Connect (D) Huntington III (D) The Prius-Driver-Eco loving freaks I mean consumers get the Now Discontinued Accu-breeze which had a crappy motor and everything was recycled in order to save cost, energy and mother earth. The Designer series is divided into two categories and is the biggest category in Hampton Bay. They have all the fancy weird looking styles in Brushed Nickel and Dark Hand-Painted finishes. Affordable Designer Category fans are priced not higher than $200.00; Leland, Santa Cruz, Midili and Rapallo. Upscale Designer fans are those fans priced higher than $200.00 and those sourced out from Minka which came in different boxes marketed exclusively at Expo Design and now sold exclusively at the Home Depot website. These fans are Chateau, Tropics, Sidewinder and Vercelli.
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Post by Perrey Z. on Aug 30, 2010 19:43:46 GMT -5
I had bought an AccuBreeze back when they were sold, and I will say they really sucked I just wanted one cause I liked the style and needed a cheap fan at that time... Goodwill has it now The spindown time was like a minute and a half. Not the best fan. How was it recycled lol The box was made from recycled paper/cartons, the bags for the accessories were made from biodegradable plastic which meant they would disintegrate with the elements rather than kept flowing the earth forever like grocery bags., the blades were made for reclaimed wood particles (like all MDF blades) everything else was made the same way other fans are manufactured.
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Post by Perrey Z. on Aug 30, 2010 23:17:27 GMT -5
So basically the AccuBreeze was kind of a "tester" for the farmington? It kinda seems to me like Home Depot throws a model out for a month while there are supplies and then the next year has one similar to it and sells it for years. Like the Hunter Fremont=Stonington The purpose of introducing the Farmington was to replace the Huntington III. You get a similar style fan minus a light kit for a few less dollars. With the current economy situation The Home Depot like other retailers are cutting cost, there was no need to keep two Polished Brass, Two Antique Brass and two White fans with light kits. (Huntington III and Landmark III Plus) The Home Depot use the Accu-breeze for testing the market about their ECO-Options theme with limited distribution. Not all stores got the fan. I know in my area only 2 stores out of 12 got them and it was 4-units in Antique Brass, and 4-units in White. I never saw the Brushed Nickel unit. When Suppliers offer better package deals, The Home Depot immediately drops models or replace them with similar designs that will cost them less. This is what happened with the Farmington and Accu-Breeze. They originally needed a fan similar to the Huntington III minus a light kit, so they ordered the Accu-Breeze, but since that ECO-Options campaign for ceiling fans didn't work, they drop it and created the Elementals By Hampton Bay Brand with the Farmington being one of the fans in that economy brand. This is the what happen with the Littleton, it was outsourced from S.M.C. in 2008 under the Hampton Bay brand and last year it was replaced by one from Air Cool reducing the retail price and moving it to the Elementals By Hampton Bay.
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Post by park0608 on Aug 31, 2010 8:21:08 GMT -5
I mean I completely understand what your saying, but I think its stupid on Home Depots part to not have an integrated light available for it at an extra cost. I like the look of Landmark III/Plus but I think its cheap looking. (The blades and all) but love the design but then I know people who think its too 80's and don't like the look so if they want a light to come with it then they gotta fork out the $$ or go to Hunter. But KOF made the Huntington line and Air Cool makes the Farmington right?
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Post by Perrey Z. on Aug 31, 2010 18:29:33 GMT -5
I mean I completely understand what your saying, but I think its stupid on Home Depots part to not have an integrated light available for it at an extra cost. I like the look of Landmark III/Plus but I think its cheap looking. (The blades and all) but love the design but then I know people who think its too 80's and don't like the look so if they want a light to come with it then they gotta fork out the $$ or go to Hunter. But KOF made the Huntington line and Air Cool makes the Farmington right? Yes. The Huntington II and III Quick Connect system had it's time of glory in 2000-2006. Just like the many different Cameron II Plus fans had it's time in 1999-2002 and the Gossamer Wind Blade series had it in 2002. With the Home Depot, it's all about trends., they push those fans as the latest innovations in the industry and at one time, they all were innovative. The Quick Connect system is no longer the "it" product, now it's all about conservative budgets. Not a fancy lithographed box, just carton with a picture. Hence the name "Elementals".
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